'We should have done more to get rid of Brown,' admits Darling

Alistair Darling writes: 'My worry was that they [the bankers] were so arrogant and stupid that they might bring us all down' (GETTY IMAGES)

Alistair Darling admitted yesterday that Labour ministers should have taken bolder action to remove Gordon Brown from office, as the former Chancellor laid bare the feuding that para- lysed the last Government.

Mr Darling said his disagreement with Mr Brown over how to tackle the economic crisis stripped Labour of credibility and undermined its chances at the general election. In an interview ahead of publication of his memoirs, he accused his former leader of not facing up to the need to cut spending to reduce borrowing. "My frustration is that we could have got through this, we could have charted a political way through it," he told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show.

In a damning observation on Mr Brown's leadership style, he said the issue of how to tackle the recession was not discussed by senior ministers.

"Perhaps we should have or I should have forced this issue at least on to the cabinet table, if not into the party itself." He added: "It was so blindingly obvious to the outside world that the two of us, Gordon and myself, were at odds, that it really hampered us when it came to the election in 2010."

Mr Darling conceded that he and other ministers should perhaps have "done something" about his leadership."I'm afraid for me, despite everything – if Gordon's listening to this, he may find it difficult to believe – I had a residual loyalty, which I found very difficult to overcome."